To me, the mark of a good MC cartridge is that it let my best albums sound like my best, while letting my less-than-stellar LPs (i.e., the bulk of my vinyl collection) sound still listenable. The AT33EV passed this test with flying colors -- through it, the music superseded any sonic degradation. Every album I played was enjoyable, but the ones I knew would sound great did, just as I’d expected them to. A top-notch MC will marry all its own strengths -- speed, dynamics, the breath of life -- to the top attributes of a good moving-magnet cartridge: harmonic richness and a lovely midrange. Once again, the AT33EV passed with high grades.

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Product Review I found the Audio-Technica AT33EV a superb moving-coil cartridge that I could happily live with, enjoying each record I placed under its stylus. It brought out more of what’s embedded in the grooves of my LPs than any MC in its price range that I’ve heard. It also made each album sound much more realistic than has any entry-level MC cartridge I’ve heard. Though, as I’ve said, it fell on the slightly dark side of neutral, in the end, its relative evenness of sound carried the day. While I would still call Audio-Technica’s AT-OC9ML/II the budget MC of choice, the AT33EV is a cartridge to seriously consider if you’re looking to enter the world of MCs, or to move up from your entry-level MC.

Having cartridges like the AT33EV around will make life difficult for makers of high-priced MM cartridges -- there’s now reason to question how much more improvement you’ll hear for all those extra dollars. Certainly, with the AT33EV, there’s no reason to not get all the sonic bliss you can for less money. I’m glad Audio-Technica is now officially importing and supporting this excellent cartridge, which I heartily recommend.

Product Details The Audio-Technica AT33EV cartridge supercedes the AT33ANV, a limited edition and highly rated model launched in 2006 to mark Audio-Technica's 45th anniversary. The Audio-Technica AT33EV cartridge is thoughtfully and thoroughly designed, meticulously and exquisitely crafted so that each component part enhances the overall cartridge's ability to track, trace and reproduce signal from the record grooves accurately, perfectly as technologically possible. It is a perfectionist's cartridge.User Manual Audio Technica AT33EV